Back Pain

NewBornProdigy · Post by **NewBornProdigy** » 23 Jun 2009, 09:56

Recently I hurt my lower back, nearly the very bottom of my spine
I dun't quite know if its a muscle or bone injuries, but I've had it b4 and was wondering does anyone know how to stretch this place, cause I really am lost trying to think of one

infectted · Post by **infectted** » 23 Jun 2009, 13:37

what were u doing when u noticed the pain ? sprinting?

Hahas i also had back pains a few day back. it came after i did some sprinting work. It was after i practise a change in direction for speed. my LOWER back was hurting really bad, so i iced it. ithelped a little then i started "stretching" it. Light ones, like standing up straight then trying to touch your toes, standing str8 and leaning to your left, followed by your right, back, front.

hope it might help!

get well soon(:

pickyourheadup · Post by **pickyourheadup** » 23 Jun 2009, 14:59

I believe I had the same injury NBP. Its in the lower back I think it is your muscle (kinda near the side, lower back..but still near spine). I had to do a lot of research on my own. The exercises I wrote here were the most helpful.
____

Lower back pain is combination of tension in your hamstring and calf muscles, and possibly weak abdominal support (your abs help support your back).

I found the following stretches help the most. It is important to do these before you go to bed and when you wake up:

Hamstring stretch-
-lie on your back
-bring one knee to your chest
-use your hands to lightly press your leg to your chest
(keep your head back while you do this)
-Count to 20
Repeat with other leg, do each leg about 3 times

Reason for this stretch: The hamstring muscle extends to the back. Any tension in the hamstring will tighten the lower back as well. Doing solely back stretches will not help (I've gone through it).

___
After doing the hamstring stretch above, I usually follow with this lowerback / abdominal muscle stretch:

Reason: This stretches the abdominal muscles and the lower back.

I call it the "Walrus stretch"

-Lay down on your stomach
-place hands near your shoulders, palms on ground
-Gently push your self up (keeping your legs straight, flat on ground) with your hands.
-Hold for 15-20 seconds
-Gently ease down

This stretches your lower back and your abs.

*Don't over stretch the back, do the exercise gently
*I usually ad in gentle twists from middle to side, back to middle then other side.

_____

Following the previous two stretches I did these exercises:

Reason for these exercises: lightly strengthens your lower back

Locust pose (a yoga pose)
-Lie on your stomach
-extend your hands forward above the ground, but not above your head
-keep your head looking forward
-raise your legs in the air as well, even with the arms
-count to 15-20 seconds, repeat exercise twice

The picture has the arms behind the head. It doesnt really matter how the arms are.

Scorpion pose (another yoga pose)
-Repeat the steps for the Walrus stretch, but do not ease yourself down yet.
-At the end of the Walrus stretch, raise your legs up (Knees to feet portion of your leg) at a 45 degree angle
-Hold for 15 seconds
-Repeat this twice

I doubt you are flexible enough to get your feet to your head. Dont try. Just do as I said above. The picture is just to give you an idea of the stretch:

______________

Cat pose

-Do the stretch in reverse too (arching your back down). Don't arch it too much, as it can cause strain.
-take a look at the related videos, I saw some that could help too.
_________

Abdominal exercises:
I found crunches to be fine. However, I recently found that it can be harmful while your back is still recovering. So here is some info that has some ab strengthening alternatives:

Source: http://www.bigbackpain.com/back_exercises.html

The Bridge: Strengthens several core muscle groups - buttocks, abs, back

Lie flat on back; bend knees at 90-degree angle, feet flat on floor. Tighten abs. Raise buttocks off floor, keeping abs tight. Shoulder to knees should be in straight line. Hold for a count of five. Slowly lower buttocks to floor. Repeat five times.

The Plank: Strengthening exercise for back, abs and neck (also strengthens arms and legs)

Lay on stomach, place elbows and forearms on floor. In a push-up position, balance on your toes and elbows. Keep your back straight and legs straight. (Like a plank) Tighten abs. Hold position for 10 seconds. Relax. Repeat five to ten times. If this exercise is too difficult, use balance on your knees instead of your toes.

A picture of the plank stretch:

___
Also try this site for abdominal strengthening:
http://www.lower-back-pain-answers.com/ ... cises.html

Some useful charts:
http://backpainphysicaltherapy.net/wp-c ... cises1.gif
http://www.doctorvlad.com/lowerbackpain ... _guide.jpg

**As a side note, it would couldn't hurt to not only stretch your hamstring muscles, but your other leg muscles as well.

-Updated expired pictures and added links to useful charts.-

NewBornProdigy · Post by **NewBornProdigy** » 23 Jun 2009, 18:41

Jesus... pickyourheadup fair play, Those really work, thanks a ton, really helpful info there, I never expected such a good/fast response, thanks for taking the time aswell

...Wow

And yeah you nailed it, near the spine but slightly to the side

pickyourheadup · Post by **pickyourheadup** » 23 Jun 2009, 18:43

NewBornProdigy wrote:Jesus... pickyourheadup fair play, Those really work, thanks a ton, really helpful info there, I never expected such a good/fast response, thanks for taking the time aswell

...Wow

And yeah you nailed it, near the spine but slightly to the side

Yeah I had this same injury and it really sucked. I had just joined a new team and was out for most of the season since I didn't start the proper exercises until then. I didn't want the same thing to happen to you

NewBornProdigy · Post by **NewBornProdigy** » 23 Jun 2009, 18:56

pickyourheadup wrote:
NewBornProdigy wrote:Jesus... pickyourheadup fair play, Those really work, thanks a ton, really helpful info there, I never expected such a good/fast response, thanks for taking the time aswell

...Wow

And yeah you nailed it, near the spine but slightly to the side
Yeah I had this same injury and it really sucked. I had just joined a new team and was out for most of the season since I didn't start the proper exercises until then. I didn't want the same thing to happen to you

Yeah it really helps, cause I was doing all these strenght exercise's for the completely wrong part of my body, now i'll work on my hammies and core more

Markwhite · Post by **Markwhite** » 24 Jun 2009, 07:25

NewBornProdigy wrote:
pickyourheadup wrote:
NewBornProdigy wrote:Jesus... pickyourheadup fair play, Those really work, thanks a ton, really helpful info there, I never expected such a good/fast response, thanks for taking the time aswell

...Wow

And yeah you nailed it, near the spine but slightly to the side
Yeah I had this same injury and it really sucked. I had just joined a new team and was out for most of the season since I didn't start the proper exercises until then. I didn't want the same thing to happen to you
Yeah it really helps, cause I was doing all these strenght exercise's for the completely wrong part of my body, now i'll work on my hammies and core more

Yup, those set of exercises sounds good. Great job pickyourhead!! I too had some troubles with my back for quite some time. I like to suggest this site http://www.irehab.com , through which I have got advices and it really worked to an extent for me .Now I 'll be working those exercises as well. Hope you can also try this as well.

foodsample · Post by **foodsample** » 16 Jan 2010, 17:45

Man I started to get this since I started doing leg raises with ankle weights (I know stuiped but, guess you don't learn until it happens). I am thinking it might be an inbalance betwean my back muscles, and ab muscles? I talked to my school trainer yesterday, and am going to get check out on Tuesday to make sure. But I will try those excersizes this weekend, see what helps.

klc123 · Post by **klc123** » 16 Jan 2010, 18:46

It sounds like a muscle strain, really common and easy to do, it will heal on its own from rest but stretching it will definiately speed up recovery time, get your girlfriend to massage it aswel and if you can having cold showers/baths can help speed up muscle recovery.

Stretching is good though because it makes it alot less likely to strain it again.

foodsample · Post by **foodsample** » 17 Jan 2010, 04:08

Cool. Actually I went to hang out with some friends, and played some American Football (stuiped idea again xD). I ended up getting trucked from behind, and I think I cracked my back and felt alot better.

I did those stretches/excersizes this morning, and just did em again.

I got practice tomorrow morning, and Monday, and am thinking if I can get a good warm up I should be able to get through it until I can rest during the week. Should I take an anti-inflammatory pill before I leave to practice?

pickyourheadup · Post by **pickyourheadup** » 17 Jan 2010, 14:15

Wouldn't hurt. How does your back feel now? If its very sore, you still might want to rest today and see how you feel Monday.

foodsample · Post by **foodsample** » 17 Jan 2010, 17:03

Well practice got cancelled today after I showed up lol. I feel fine walking around, but it feels a bit stiff when I run. Passing was alright. But I tried taking a shot towards the end, and felt the pain again. But only when I tried to shoot, it didn't linger.
Gonna rest today, and do those excersizes later in the day, then see how I am tomorrow. After that ill rest the rest of the week.

MUFC1994 · Post by **MUFC1994** » 17 Jan 2010, 17:18

foodsample wrote:Well practice got cancelled today after I showed up lol. I feel fine walking around, but it feels a bit stiff when I run. Passing was alright. But I tried taking a shot towards the end, and felt the pain again. But only when I tried to shoot, it didn't linger.
Gonna rest today, and do those excersizes later in the day, then see how I am tomorrow. After that ill rest the rest of the week.

Try to stretch the quads and hip flexors as well as the hamstrings....

fir_nev · Post by **fir_nev** » 18 Jan 2010, 01:40

Try go for massage by a certified professional, not those spa who cheat U of Ur money... I went for one yesterday and it is good. They guy told me massage can help re-align Ur veins. My first in 25 years and I improved my performance for an evening floorball game.

Our body needs servicing too.

foodsample · Post by **foodsample** » 18 Jan 2010, 17:09

I rested Sunday, went to practice this morning. We started warm-ups with a couple laps around the field, and although it did feel a little tense towards the end, I kept the pace. Made sure to do those stretches during the stretching session along with the rest of the sets. Luckily today was an easy day, just some latter, and ball work drills. Took it easy at first, but once I started to warm up I felt more confident in upping the tempo. I still cant get to full speed, and I decided not to take any shots, but I did the stretches again after the practice while I was still warm, and it really helped. I am gonna see the school trainer tomorrow. But I feel by next weekend it should be good.
One stretch I completely forgot about was this one, I did it, and felt my whole spine crack lol, both sides. After that it really did start to feel better:

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